Policies and Requirements

Dornsife College Basic Unit Requirement

For those undergraduate students earning a degree in the USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, a minimum of 104 units applicable to the degree must be earned in Dornsife academic departments. For students graduating with a minor or a second bachelor’s degree, this minimum is reduced to 96 units. Other exceptions will be considered by the dean of undergraduate programs in Dornsife.  Students who are completing major degree programs in a professional school, but whose degree is conferred by the college, are exempt from this policy.  This policy also applies to transferable courses.

Foreign Language Requirement

All students in the USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and in selected programs in other schools at USC, must be able to demonstrate sufficient facility with a foreign language.  This can be done by completing the third semester of a language, by a placement examination, or its national equivalent.  All students who have not already satisfied the requirement must take a placement examination to determine their level of proficiency.  Entering freshmen should satisfy this requirement by their 64th units; transfers by their 96th units, at the latest.  More information about the foreign language requirement for particular groups of students is available in the USC Catalogue and the language@usc website.

Grade Point Average Requirement

A grade point average of at least C (2.0) on all units attempted at USC is required for undergraduate degrees. The college requires a minimum 2.0 grade point average in upper division major courses. Some departments require grades of C or higher in specified courses. A grade point average of at least B (3.0) on all units attempted at USC is required for master’s and doctoral degrees.

Unit Limitation

There is an established limit of 40 upper division units in any major. A student wishing to exceed the limit must obtain the approval of the department with the final endorsement of the dean of undergraduate programs.

Grade Disputes

The grade dispute process starts with a conversation between the course instructor and the student in the semester after the course was completed.  If the grade dispute isn’t resolved, it may then be evaluated at the next level by the department, either individually by the chair or delegate or by a panel of faculty.  If the student wishes to dispute the departmental decision, the Dornsife Dean of Undergraduate Programs may be asked to review the dispute.  Detailed information about the grade dispute process is available in The USC Student Handbook under the “Disputed Academic Evaluation Procedures” segment (pg 53).